Explained: How GHMC's new ATSC traffic signals will work to make travel seamless

Hyderabad: In an attempt to reduce traffic congestion and to better manage the traffic, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) announced that it will install 334 new traffic signals across the city. More than half of the new signals will consist of Hyderabad Traffic Integrated Management System (HTRIMS).

The officials also announced that 122 new Adaptive Traffic Signal Control (ATSC) and 94 new Pelican Signals will be installed in various parts of the city.

Joint traffic commissioner of Hyderabad A.V Ranganath explained that the new signals will help enhance travel time reliability.

ATSC has been developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and is equipped with an adaptive control algorithm known as Composite Signal Control Strategy (CoSiCoSt).

"Based on the camera-based detectors, the time interval will be reviewed at the junctions automatically. Unlike old systems, the green light will be adjusted accordingly if there are fewer vehicles at a certain junction," said Mr. Ranganath.

"The traffic signal has an in-built software that will reduce and increase the wait times at junctions depending on the volume of traffic at any particular time," he added.

Mr. Ranganath said that the ATSC system will also lead to fewer waiting times at junctions, reduced city-wide congestion, fewer stops, fewer emissions, and improved road safety.

The Pelican Signal system, on the other hand, aims to create a safe space for pedestrians, particularly at spots where there are no junctions. "There will be signals at busy stops like schools, hospitals, etc. where there is no junction so that pedestrians can cross the road safely," Mr. Ranganath said.

Anyone who wishes to cross the road can push the button on the traffic signal pole. After analysing the flow of traffic, the signal will turn red so that pedestrians can cross the road without any hassle.

The Hyderabad traffic police have identified the spots to set up the new traffic signals and will inform the GHMC about the same.

GHMC plans to install 96 ATSC cameras and 73 Pelican system signals during this financial year.